LOVES EMPIRE Or The AMOURS Of the FRENCH COURT LONDON Printed for Dorman Newman at the Kings Arms in the Poultry 1682. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE EARL OF THANET c. My LORD THE present Times being pestered with nothing but Narrative and Narrative Evidence upon Evidence one to strengthen and another to invalidate the Truth of a Plot The Papists Libelling the Presbyterians and the Presbyterians zealously Answering them and both disturbing the Publick Peace Insomuch that Mr. Stationer hath now nothing to Entertain his Customer with but some rare Pamphlet which he is ready to commend as excellently penned and learnedly handled St. Austin 's City of God The Practice of Piety The Whole Duty of Man c. are grown even mouldy upon their Shelves and none but the Advising C and Intelligent V the former furnishing us with News from the Pope and the latter with strange Stories of Things which never were can merit their Favour or be vouchsaft an Acceptance And therefore for me to intrude into his Shop and desire a Place in his Classes under the Notion of a Lover is look't upon as the Superlative Degree of Boldness and Impudence and I am immediately commanded to Retire or if I persist Intreating I am thrust out of Doors and called an Idle Fellow a Toâ—y an Enemy to the Good Old Cause and I know not what Forgetting that Love ought at this time especially to have the greatest Empire in Mens Hearts to Vnite the Dissentingly Reformed to the Truly Reformed Opinion and thus like Ephraim and Manasseh both would agree against Judah the Papists And now my Lord being likely to be kept in Silence and Obscurity and uncapable to appear abroad without a PROTECTION I made bold to enter into your Lordships Presence and casting my self at your Feet humbly implore your Honourable Patronage Your Lordship will perchance be apt to ask me if this be a Time to talk of Love To which I believe I need not study for an Answer when the high Station your Lordship has in the World gives you the affrighting Prospect how little room Love takes up now among Men Nay 't is almost forgot and therefore to give them this Memento of it will not altogether be inseasonable My Lord the Stage whereon Our Gallants acted their several Parts was France and having met with a General Acceptance and Favour in their French I ventured to Equipp them in our English Garb. I hope they may give your Lordship some agreable Diversion when your vacant Hours from more serious Affairs shall permit you Your Lordships Favour and Incouragement is the sole Azyle to which I shall have Recourse with which if I am honoured I shall not value the severe Scrutinies of of the nice Critick nor the Opprobrious Censure of the Sedate Phanatick whilst I think it my Duty to write my self My Lord Your Lordships most humble and devoted Servant R. H. Loves Empire Or The GALLANTRIES Of the FRENCH COURT NOtwithstanding that in the Reign of Lewis the Fourteenth the War had continued above Twenty years yet it did not hinder Love from causing some Amourous Intrigues but as the Court was only filled with old insensible Gentlemen and young Sparks bred up in Armies and whom that Profession had rendred Brutal most of the Ladies were become less modest than formerly and seeing they should have languished in Idleness if they had not made Advances or at least if they had been Cruel a great many grew tender hearted and some very Confident Of this last Tribe was Madam d' Olonne She had a round Face a pretty Nose a little Mouth fine sparkling Eyes and delicate Features yet smiling which embelishes most people had in her a quite contrary effect her Hair was a bright brown her Complexion admirable her Neck Hands and Arms were well made her shape was not to be commended nor would she have been thought Charming had it not been for her Face This much her Flatterers say That when she first appeared at Court she had a handsome Body which is the usual plea of those who would excuse Women who are too Corpulent However this Lady was too sincere in this case to leave people in an Errour for every one that had a mind might be informed of the contrary and it was not her fault she did not undeceive all the World Madam d' Olonne had a quick and pleasant Wit when she was free yet she was something false inconstant bold malicious loved pleasures even to Debauch and there was excess in her least Divertisements Her Beauty rather than her Estate which was but small obliged the Count d' Olonne to endeavour the making her his Wife Which he quickly effected for being a Person of Quality and having a great Estate he was agreeably received by Madam de la Louppe her Mother and had not the leisure to sigh for Charms which for two years had inflamed the desires of all the Court This Match being consummated those Lovers withdrew who pretended to Marriage and others came who only aimed at being beloved One of the first who offered himself was Beuvron whom the Neighbourhood of Madam d' Olonne gave the more conveniency of seeing and by this means loved her a pretty while without being discovered and I fancy this Amour would have still been concealed if Beuvron had never had Rivals But the Duke of Candale being fallen in love with Madam d' Olonne quickly perceived what had thitherto remained concealed for want of interessed People Not but that d' Olonne loved his Wife extreamly but Husbands are stupid and so are never Lovers and the jealousie of these is much more piercing than that of the others So that the Duke of Candale saw things that d' Olonne did not and never has seen for he is still ignorant that Beuvron has had an Intrigue with his Wife Beuvron had black Eys a handsom Nose a little Mouth a long Face very black long and thick Hair a fine Shape and Wit enough He was not one of those who talk all in Company but was a Man of good sense and honour tho he had naturally an aversion for War so that being fallen in love with Madam d' Olonne he sought for an opportunity to discover to her his Passion Their Neighbourhood at Paris gave him occasions enough but her Inconstancy made him apprehend an Intrigue with her At length happening one day to meet with her without other Company If I only designed Madam said he to her to let you know that I love you words would be altogether unnecessary my cares and my looks have told you sufficiently what effect your Charms have had upon me But Madam as I expect you should one day make returns to my flames it is requisite that I discover 'em and assure you at the same time that whether you love me or not I am resolved to be your Votary as long as I live Beuvron having ceased speaking Sir answered Madam d' Olonne This is not
to no purpose rely on your good Offices to me And thereupon Madam de Monglas having caused Ink and Paper to be brought I wrote this Letter SInce considering the course I take the Passion I have for your Mistress neither offends my honour nor the friendship I owe you I may well without shame acquaint you with it and on the contrary I should dishonour my self by concealing it from you Know then that I have not been able to see Madam de Monglas any longer without loving her and that sending for me to day to know the reason of a Retreat I told her she had Charmed me but that I might not do any thing that was contrary to my duty I would see her no more I thought my self obliged to give you notice hereof that you might take other measures as to her and that you might see by the misfortune that has hapned to me of becoming your Rival that I am not unworthy of your friendship nor your esteem Having read this Letter to Mad. de Monglas Well Madam said I to her is this fair dealing Ah my Lord replyed she nothing can be more handsome but tho I believe you have the best Soul in the world it would be very difficult for you having a hand in your Rivals Intrigues finding a thousand reasons to do one another ill Offices and thinking to take advantages of our fallings out that you should resist considering the passion you have for me the temptation of breeding quarrels between us And as you are a witty man you would not find it difficult so to order your business as that one of us might seem to be faulty and to lay upon one of us or upon Fortune the mischance you only were the cause of though your Friend should leave off loving me through his own Inconstancy after what I know of you I should ever believe if you concern your self in our Intrigue that it was by your Artifices So that you have great reason my Lord not to see me any more and tho I should lose infinitely thereby I cannot forbear commending that Action After some other Discourses upon this Subject I went away to dispatch the Letter I had written to Feuillade and ten days after I received this Answer YOu have done your Devoir my Dear and I am going to do mine I have more confidence in you than you your self wherefore I desire you to continue your Visits to Madam de Monglas and to serve me with her When persons are so nice upon interest as you seem to me they are certainly incapable of treachery but tho the Merit of Mad. de Monglas shall have so blinded you thay you should be no longer able to retire I should willingly excuse you upon the necessities there are of loving her when we know her perfectly With this Letter there was the following one inclosed for Madam de Monglas I Am not at all surprized Madam to learn that you have charmed my Friend my wonder would be the greater if a wel-bred Man who daily sees and converses with you should defend his heart against so much Merit He sends me word that he will see you no more for fear he should yield to the inclination he has for you and for my part I desire him not to retire upon the assurance I have that he has more force than he imagins and tho he should not be able to resist any longer you would not give your heart to a Traytor having refused it to the most faithful Lover in the world As soon as I had received these two Letters I went to carry them to Madam de Monglas but not to injure my friends whose Mistress was very Nice I efforced all the end of the Letter he wrote to me from that part where he tells me that tho the Merit of Madam de Monglas should have so blinded me that I should not be in a Condition to retire upon the necessity there was of loving her When she was well acquainted with I was afraid she would think as well as I that that part was very gallant but not very passionate You are in the right answered the Count de Guiche and not only that part but both the Letters seem to me well written but show the person indifferent The sequel replyed Bussy will not undeceive you You must know then continued he that Madam de Monglas seeing this scratching asked me what it was I told her that evillade spoke to me of an affair of Consequence which Concerned me Since he is desirous said she to me that you continue your Visits to me I give you my Consent but my Lord it is upon Condition you never speak to me of the sentiments you have for me I will not since you are so pleased replied I Not but that I ought to speak of it without being suspected by you for tho I love you more than I do my life if to a knowledge my love you should despise that of my friend in ceasing to esteem you I should likewise cease loving you The reason why I love you Madam is I assure you not for that you are beautifull but because you are also no Cocquet I beleive you my Lord said she to me but since you neither desire nor pretend nothing love me no longer for what is a love without desires and hopes I pretended to Nothing said I to her but I hope and I desire And what can you desire replied she I desire replied I that la Feuillade should leave off loving you and that it should be indifferent to you And in case that should be said she should you think to be the more happy I know not if I should be so Madam said I to her but at least I should be nearer happiness than I am And thereupon I made this Song Since only loving you I find Does so much pain procure Me thinks you should be something kind And moan what I endure My Rivall does all to me disclose And me his Confident has chose What gave me some Comfort in the Prospect of all the pains that an Amour without hopes is attended with is that I was upon the Point of having the charge of Major General of the Horse and that this Charge obliging me to go suddainly to the Army honour would Cure me of an unfortunate passion Some days before my departure I was willing to do divert the trouble I had through the violence I used upon my self to Conceal my passion and for that end I gave Madam de Savigny a very fine and extraordinary treat which you will certeinly be well pleased to have the description of First sigure to your self in the Gardon of the Temple which you know a Wood wherein two Allyes cross in the place they meet there was a great Oval of Trees on whose Branches a hundred Christal Candlesticks were tyed on one side of this Oval was a magnificent Theater raised whose Decoration well deserved to be so lighted as it
all manner of ill names she there attended me with the greatest violence imaginable For my part without making either Prayers or Complaints knowing what I had deserved I went home in a fury and having put my self to Bed I turned all my choler against the cause of my Disgrace Fury then seiz'd me patience me forsook A Razor in my hand enrag'd I took But my designe I found was all in vain Being the Author of my shameful pain All in a fright and quite froze up with fear Some wrinckles of it only did appear And towards it's Center seem'd to crow'd I thought And thus for refuge in my Belly sought So that not being able to do any thing the rage I was in made me talk to my self much to this purpose Ah! Traytor what hast thou to say infamous part of my self and really shameful Member for it would be very ridiculous to give thee an other name Tell me have I ever obliged thee to use me in this manner and make me receive the cruellest Affronts in the World to make me abuse the favours that are done me and being but two and twenty make me have the infirmities of old Age while that Choler made me speak thus My Eyes towards Heaven I then did ghastly turn My cruel Fate I did lament and mourn I saw that all reproaches were in vain To talk to it to rocks was to complain I spent the Night in mortal Agonies I knew not if I ought to write to Madam d' Olonne or surprise her by an unexpected Visit at lenght after having been a long time considering I chose to do the last at the hazard of finding an obstacle to our pleasures but I was so happy as to find her a lone just as it grew dark She had put her self to Bed as soon as I was gone from her At my Coming into her Chamber I told her Madam I come either to dy at your feet or give you satisfaction I begg you would not be in a rage I know what I have merited Madam d' Olonne who feared as much as I did such an other mischance as those that had happned to me took care not to daunt me with reproaches on the contrary she told me all that might re-establish in me a good opinion of my self which I had almost lost and faith if I was enchanted as I told her two dayes before I break the Charme the third time you may imagine added the Count de Guiche that she called me no ill names at parting as she had done the other times This is the state of our Intrigue which I begg you would seem to be ignorant of Vinevil having promised him he would they parted the Count de Guiche went to the Countess of Fiesque's House to whom amongst other things he said he had no thoughts of Madam d' Olonne This Gallant 's Intrigue had not continued long with his new Mistress when Marsillac discovered it tho he had so little sence and she had taken all imaginable care to deceive him but jealousy that serves in stead of cunning made him discover in her less eagerness for him than was usual Insomuch that having made her some Modest Complaints in the beginning and afterwards more sharp ones seeing at length they did not at all restrain her he resolved to revenge himself at one blow both of his Rival and his Mistress Whereupon he gave his friends Madam d' Olonne's Letters and desired them to show 'em in all Companies Mademoiselle d' Orleans hated the Count de Guiche extreamly He gave her the Letter the Count had written to his Mistress in which he had spoken ill of the Queen and the Duke of Orleans The first thing the Prince did was to show the Duke of Orleans the Count de Guiche's Letter thinking to animate him so much the more against him for that she knew that Prince had had a great kindness for him however that Prince was not in so great a passion as she hoped he would have been and contented himself with telling Pequelain that his Cosin was ungrateful that he had never given him reason to talk of him as he did and that all the resentment he should have of it was to have no longer the same esteem for him he had had but if the Queen knew after what manner he had talked of her she would not certainly have so much moderation as she had The Princess not being well pleased to see his Royall highness so favourable to the Count de Guiche resolved to tell the Queen and having acquainted one of her Confidents with her design the Marshal of Grammont came to hear of it He went and beseeched her not to ruine his son she promised him she would not and kept her word This Princess was haughty and did not easily pardon People who had not for her all the respect her illustrious Birth and extraordinary Merit obliged all the World to but when she was once perswaded they loved her nothing was so good natured as she While that the Marshall and his Friends were endeavouring to stifle the Noise that Marsillac had made with the Count de Guiche's Letter Madam d' Olonne was known to show this for the breaking of a Marriage that made Marsillac's fortune You do not think Madam of the constraint I am in I am sorced to go two or three times a Week to visit Mademoiselle de Rochegayon to talk to her as if I loved her and to this purpose must spend that time I ought only to employ in seeing writing and thinking of you and in what Condition soever I may be it would be a great trouble to me to be obliged to keep company with a Child but now that I live only for your sake you may very well imagine that it is to me the cruellest of Tortures that which makes me take patience in some manner is that I hope to revenge my self on her by marrying her without loving her and after that seeing more nearly the difference there is between you and her I shall love you all my life time yet more if it was possible than I do at present This at first surprized all the World Thitherto indiscreet Gallants had only been found and never Mistresses They could not imagine that a Woman to revenge her self of a Man she no longer loved would help one in that manner to convict herself This indiscretion had not however the effect that Madam d' Olonne had promised herself Monsieur de Liancourt Mademoiselle de la Rochegayon's Father knowing that Madam d' Olonne was desirous to incense him against Marsillac answered those who spoke to him of that Letter That were it not for offending God Marsillac could not do better than apply himself to gain the Heart of so beautyful a Lady as Madam d' Olonne that this was not the first time that Wives were spoke ill of at Mistresses Bed-side But as the passion Men had for her was more violent than that they
He was brave that is to say that he had the Courage of a Souldier and the Soul of a Prince He was a great Wit and loved Pleasures but yet he loved his Duty more In short he was one of the greatest Kings in the World But however tho Nature had gifted him with admirable Advantages Adversity that had been his Governour was the principal Cause of his extraordinary Merit The Prince at his leaving of France had shown as I have already said very little consideration for Madam de Chastillon but having known the value that the Spaniards set on her by the Pension they had given her and the Credit that she had at the Court of France by the means of the Abbot Foucquett was reinflamed for her And his Passion was so violent that he wrote to her the most passionate Letters in the World and amongst others this was intercepted that he wrote to her in Cyphers THo all your Charms should not oblige me to love you my dear Cosin the pains that you take for me and the persecutions you suffer for being in my Interests and the hazards wherein this exposes you would oblige me to love you as long as I live Iudge then what all this together can do upon a heart which is neither insensible nor ungrateful but judge likewise of the alarms that I am continually in for you The example of Ricoux makes me tremble and when that I consider that what I have most dear in the World is in the hands of my Enemies I am in disquiets that never give me rest In the name of God my poorest Dear do not longer hazard your self as you do I should choose rather never to return into France than be the cause of your having the least apprehension It is for me to expose my self and by a War put my Affairs in such a posture as that they may treat with me and then my dear Cosin you may aid me with your Intercession and in the mean time as events are doubtful in War I have one sure way to pass my life with you and yet engage our Interests to one another more than they have hitherto been Do not believe that the Princess is an invincible obstacle to this people break through much greater when they are as much in love as I am In this part my dear Cosin I give no bounds to my Imagination nor to your Hopes You may push them as far as you please Farewel The hopes that Madam de Chastillon had upon this Letter of marrying the Prince made her think of refusing the offers of the King of England hereupon she consulted one of her female Friends in Bordeaux's presence She whose Husband was with the Prince told her Mistress that she was mad once to think of marrying a shaddow of a King a Wretch who had not wherewith to live and who in making her to be laughed at would ruin her in a little time that if it was possible contrary to all appearances in the World that he should one day recover his Throne she might very well believe that being weary of her he would be divorced from her upon the pretext of the inequality of Condition Her Friend told her on the contrary that her madness was to marry the Prince who was married and whose Wife was in health that persons of the Quality of the King of England might be sometimes under ill Fortune but that they could never be in that extream necessity so common to private Persons That it was fine for a Lady to live a Queen tho she should live unhappy and that she ought never to refuse an honourable Title tho she was only to bear it upon her Grave As for you Mademoiselle turning towards Bordeaux you have reason to talk as you do to her Grace considering only your own interest but for my part who only consider her Graces I tell her what I ought to say Madam de Chastillon gave them thanks for the kindness they showed her and told them that she would take time to think of their Reasons before she came to a Resolution She was not willing to give a more positive Answer before her Friend in an Affair she was ashamed she should choose what was contrary to her advice In the mean time there came Notice from several parts to the King of England of the Life of Madam Chastillon and of her present Conduct with the Abbot Foucquett Never any Man that had the least sense of Honour did lose his Reason so much as in the beginning of his Passion to marry a Woman without Honour The King of England went from the Neighbourhood of Marlou as soon as He had learnt all these news and would not hazard by seeing Madam de Chastillon a Conflict that might be doubtfull between his sences and his Reason Madam de Chastillon was not then sensible of the loss she had the desires and hopes she had of marrying the Prince rendered all other things indifferent to her Madam de Chastillon being returned from her Dutchy to Marlou in the beginning of the Spring through the intercession of the Marshall d' Hocquincourt and sometime after to Paris he did not find her ungratefull for this favour This little service and the promises he gave her of killing the Cardinal and putting his Places into the Princes hands touched Madam de Chastillons Heart to that point that she granted enjoyment to the Marschal The Summer passed in this manner during which the Abbot Foucquett who perceived this Commerce was often under strange disquiets and he had done at that time what he did afterwards if Lovers did not love to deceive themselves when they are either to quit or condemn their Mistresses The Winter after the Duke of Candale at his return from Catalonia seemed to be in love with Madam de Chastillon The Abbot Foucquett allarum'd at so dangerous a Rivall caused Boligneux to desire him to cease his persuit The Duke of Candale being at that time really in love with Madam d' Olonne and had only engaged himself with Madam de Chastillon to make her serve for a pretext easily granted the Abbot Foucquett's Request But as with this Mistress Lovers were as an Hydra of whom one head was no sooner cut off but that an other sprung up in the room la Feuillade took the place of the Duke of Candale The Abbot Foucquett who knew it immediately spoke himself pretty sharply of it to la Fuillade who whether that he fancyed that his Rivall being beloved he should not succeed in his Enterprize or whether that his blooming Passion left him all his Prudence he did not judge it Convenient to incurr the hatred of so violent a Man wherefore he did not persevere in that Amour The Marquess de Cozuvres had not so much Complaisance as Feuillade had he continued to see Madam de Chastillon maugre the Abbot Foucquett but as he had neither Fortune nor Merit enough to touch her Heart she only made a